Madam, - I read Oliver McGrane's reaction to Brian Cowen's recent put-down of Enda Kenny with disappointment (March 10th). I'd rather not see any politician behave like Mr Cowen, or Mr Ahern, neither of whom have genuine charisma.
Mr Cowen's personal remarks in the Dáil were unbecoming of a Tánaiste. Far from being true political repartee, they showed nothing more than the boorish arrogance that passes for wit in small-town Ireland.
Mr. Ahern's charisma is the "smoke and mirrors" of a man who cares for nothing but "his name in men's mouths", to quote Padraig Mac Piarais, and his party in power no matter what.
No: in the absence of that so-called charisma, I'd rather support a government whose leader is patently honest, which does not hide behind the fiction that "there was no code of ethics then", and which does not still honour another great man of charisma, the liar and perjurer Charles J. Haughey. - Yours, etc,
PAT O'BRIEN, Ballygawley, Co Sligo.